Eggplant Parmigiana (Parmigiana di Melanzane)

Many regions of Italy claim the paternity of the "Eggplant Parmigiana," but it is almost certain that the word "Parmigiana" is not due to the region of Parma, as in the case of Parmesan cheese, but rather to the Sicilian dialect word "parmiciana," which is the lath of shutters, and recalls the way that we put the eggplant when we make the "eggplant parmigiana."

Beyond the historical origins, "Eggplant Parmigiana" is definitively my favorite dish, but it has to be made as I show you below, because some recipes add eggs and breadcrumbs, then it becomes a heavy dish.

Ingredients

• 3 lb (~1.5 kg) Eggplant
• 35 Oz (~ 1 L) canned tomato puree;
• 1 lb (500 gr) Mozzarella cheese;
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
• Handful basil leaves.
• 1 tbp extra virgin olive oil;
• 2 cloves of garlic;
• Crushed Italian hot pepper (optional);
• Salt;
• Vegetable oil (for frying). 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Cut the eggplants into slices without peel them, and place them in a colander with salt in order to remove their bitterness for 30 minutes, then rinse them, press them, and fry them in plenty vegetable oil. When the eggplant is golden, drain them, and then dry them in paper towel.

Meanwhile, fry the garlic and the crushed Italian hot pepper in the extra virgin oil in a pot, remove the garlic when it is golden and add the tomato puree, let it cook for about ten minutes, stirring occasionally.

Dice the mozzarella in small cubes and put aside.

With a ladle pour some of the tomato sauce in the base of a rectangular baking dish, and above it put some eggplant slice, and above it put another ladle of tomato sauce and the sliced mozzarella, and sprinkle some grated Parmesan cheese.

Repeat the process 3 times, or until you have used all of the slices of eggplant. Above all add the basil leaves. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before serving, you can eat it hot or cold.

Lasagne 

We do not need words to describe Lasagna, by just pronouncing its name our brain evokes mouth-watering flavors and aromas. 

The Lasagna is very famous all over the world, I do not think that there is a corner  on earth where it is unknown. Indeed, some countries have made what they called "fusion," that is a mixture of some of their typical dishes with the lasagna. 

An example would be the fusion between the "Lomo Saltado," one of the most traditional Peruvian dishes with "lasagna," and they call it (obviously) "Lomo Saltado Lasagna." 

This is a clear example of how Lasagna is an adaptable dish to many variations and combinations, and that's why everybody likes lasagna. 

Ingredients

• 12 leafs of egg lasagna;

• 1 lb (~500 gr) lean ground beef;

• 1 lb (~500 gr) mozzarella;

• 35 Oz (~ 1 L) canned tomato puree;

• 6.8 Oz (~200 ml) cooking cream;

• 1 cup (~100 gr) freshly grated Parmesan cheese

• 1 rib celery;

• 1 onion;

• 1 carrot;

• 4 tbp extra virgin oil.

• Salt.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Dice the carrot, the celery and the onion and fry them in a pot with the extra virgin oil. Add the lean ground beef and a pinch of salt, and stir until the meat is golden. Then add the canned tomato puree and another pinch of salt, and stir it all once in a while. Let it cook for about 10 minutes, and then add the cooking cream, stir a little, and turn off the heat, and put aside. This sauce is called the “Bolognese.”

Dice the mozzarella in small cubes and put aside.

With a ladle pour some of the "Bolognese" sauce in the base of a rectangular baking dish, and above it put 3 leafs of egg lasagne, and above it put another ladle of "Bolognese,” and the sliced mozzarella, and sprinkle some grated Parmesan cheese. Repeat the process until you have completed 4 layers of lasagna.

Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Polenta, Broccoli Rabe and Italian Sausage (Polenta, Friarielli e Salsiccia)

The polenta is made with the corn flour and it is a traditional meal of Northern Italy, while the "friarielli", also called "broccoli rabe", is a vegetable typical of Southern Italy. The marriage of these two flavors, mixed with the Italian sausage which is typical of the whole country, can be considered the synthesis of the essence of Italy, in my opinion. 

I mean that it is an unique country whose personality derives from the fusion of cultures and traditions of every single town.

Ingredients 

• 10.5 oz (~300 gr) polenta; 
• 2.2 lb (~1 kg) friarielli;
• 1 lb (~500 gr) Italian sausage;
• 5 tbs extra virgin oil;
• 2 cloves garlic;
• 1/2 tbs crushed Italian red pepper;
• Salt.

Directions

Polenta: Boil 4 cups of salted water in a large pan, pour 2 tbs of extra virgin oil into it, then pour the polenta into it little by little, like rain, and stir it vigorously all the while with a wooden spoon for the time indicated in the package. Add boiling water during cooking if necessary. Usually it takes 8 - 10 minutes for the precooked polenta, and 25 - 30 minutes for the not-precooked polenta. It will be ready when it is soft and creamy. Turn off the heat and pour the polenta in an oven pan and let it rest.

Friarielli: Cut off the tough friarelli stems and wash the leaves. Don't dry them and put them still wet into a large pot, allowing it to cook over low heat. Stir occasionally. The volume of the vegetable will decrease significantly. Cook it for 10-15 minutes and drain it and let it rest into the colander.
Meanwhile, slice the garlic and fry it in the extra virgin oil, together with the Italian red pepper, in a large frying pan. When the garlic is golden, add the broccoli and fry for five minutes stirring once in a while. Turn off the heat and set aside.

Sausage: Prick the sausage with a fork and steam it or boil it in a little water. Allow the fat to melt in order to let it spill out through the skin of the sausage. At this point remove the sausage from the pot and place it into a nonstick fry pan with no seasoning. Allow it to cook over low heat and overturn occasionally. When the sausage is golden, remove it and place it into the pan containing the already cooked friarelli. Rekindle the fire and cook it for a few minutes.

At this point pour the broccoli and sausage over the polenta and serve it.

Remember to be prepared to eat an encore.

Sicilian Pasta (Pasta alla Siciliana)

If you take a look at the Italy's map, you will see that Sicily is the Island situated at the tip of the boot.

Sicily is a land rich in culture and traditions, because it is the result of the mixing and the integration of many of alien cultures. It was inhabited in antiquity by the Phoenician and the ancients Greek, and at different times it was invaded by Romans, Vikings, Vandals, Ostrogoth, Byzantines, Arabs and Normans. Later, there was the Kingdom of Sicily, subordinated to Spain, and subsequently unified with Naples as the Kingdom of the “Two Sicilies.”

One of the results of that complicated series of succession and interlacing of cultures is the "Sicilian Pasta," which is merely made with eggplant and mozzarella, and the result is as simple as genial.

But beyond any consideration, from my little personal experience I can tell you that Sicily has the most warm and welcoming people I have ever known, and their traditional dishes are as awesome as its inhabitants. Try it to believe!

Ingredients

• 1 lb (~500 gr) Ziti pasta (otherwise Bucatini, Penne, or Rigatoni);
• 1 lb (~500 gr) eggplant;
• 15 oz (~420 gr) canned whole peeled Italian tomatoes (San Marzano);
• 1 lb (~500 gr) mozzarella;
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil;
• 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil;
• 4 cloves garlic;
• 1/2 tsp crushed Italian red pepper;
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
• Handful basil leaves.

Directions

Dice the eggplants into cubes and place them in a colander with salt in order to remove their bitterness for 30 minutes, then rinse them, press them, and fry them in the vegetable oil. When the eggplant is golden, drain them, and then dry them in paper towel.

Meanwhile, fry the garlic and the crushed Italian hot pepper with the extra virgin oil, remove the garlic when it is golden and add the tomatoes already sliced, and also a little salt. Cook it for about 15 minutes, then add the eggplant, cook it for few more minutes, and stir it once in a while.

At the same time cook the pasta, "al dente," in plenty of salted water for the time indicated in the package.

Dice the mozzarella and set aside.

When the pasta is ready, drain it and put it back into the pot, add the eggplant sauce and stir. Then add the mozzarella already diced, and stir it in a very slow fire. When the mozzarella melts, turn off the fire and add the grated Parmesan cheese and the basil leaves.

Serve immediately and you will enjoy eating with the mozzarella wires!

Fusilli Pasta, Sausage and Mozzarella (Fusilli, salsiccia e mozzarella)

The "Fusilli Pasta, Sausage and Mozzarella" is a typical dish from southern Italy, that's why the long fusilli are not very easy to find somewhere else, but you can make it even with the short fusilli pasta.
This recipe was the one that all the family liked the most. So, I used to cook it plenty on Sundays, when the family could enjoy it together, and everyone could eat their fill, and always it was like a party.
During the other days of the week it was hard to me keep everyone happy, because no one in the family had the same tastes, so I alternated the dishes trying to please everybody day by day. But, fortunately I had not that problem on Sundays, when I used to cook it, and everybody loved it.

Ingredients

• 1 lb (~500 g) long type fusilli pasta (or the short fusilli pasta if you cannot find the long one);

• 29 oz (~85 cl) 100 % natural tomato puree (no seasonings added);

• 1lb (~500 g) mozzarella;

• 1 lb (~500 g) lean sausage;

• 7 oz (~200 g) grated Parmesan cheese;

• 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil;

• 2 cloves of garlic;

• Crushed Italian hot pepper (optional);

• Salt. 

Directions

Prick the sausage with a fork and steam it or boil it in a little water. Allow the fat to melt in order to let it spill out through the skin of the sausage.

Meanwhile, fry over low heat in a pan the two whole cloves of garlic in the extra virgin oil, and the Italian hot pepper if you like. When the garlic will be golden, remove it, and then add the tomato puree and a pinch of salt.

As soon as the tomato puree starts to boil, add the sausage already drained. Let it cook for about ten minutes, stirring occasionally. The tomato sauce will be ready when you can see the bottom of the pot.

Then, remove the sausage from the tomato sauce, and cut into slices. Also dice the mozzarella into small cubes, and add them to the sausage and set aside.

Meanwhile, in another pot, cook the pasta in plenty of salted water for the time indicated in the package. Do not forget that it must be "al dente."


Drain the fusilli, and then season them with the tomato sauce. 

Then put half of the fusilli pasta in a baking dish or Pyrex pan, add the sliced sausage and the mozzarella, then the half of the grated Parmesan cheese.

Cover it with the other half of the fusilli, sprinkle it with the remaining grated Parmesan cheese, and bake it until the Parmesan cheese melts (around 750˚ F, ~400˚ C).

Remove from the oven, let it rest while you are setting the table, and serve at will. It will be tastier if you eat the meal in family all together, everyone at the table and without cell phones at hand.